the water is warm and their metabolism is high. Conversely, in cold water a bass is sedentary. as its prey swims by, a smallmouth will move just enough to capture it. Then it will sit still until its prey succumbs. While dragging a football head jig or a dropshot rig, when a bass stops your lure the boat is still moving, causing your stationary rod tip to load up. This is all the warning you will get that it is time to set the hook.
For this reason i have greater success by using scent. a new scent that i really like is the Bioedge Wand. This is a solid scent in an applicator that resembles a glue stick or chap stick. it is made of all natural bait ingredients, so it tastes and smells like the prey bass expect. it is also easy to apply, even when wearing gloves.
Because bites are so light, using the best hook can be the difference between full livewells and fishless days. Your hook should be needle sharp so the lightest of bites will cause the point to stick. after years of trial and error, i have settled on returning to the venerable o’Shaughnessy style hook. in all my football heads i use the Gamakatsu 111 style o’Shaughnessy jig hook because the upswept bend allows bass to pluck it off the bottom easily, and take it deeper, and it stays hooked-up better during the fight. round bend jig hooks fall out easier during the fight.
Another way to land more bass is to use the correct rod action . This is the one time when using a lure with a single hook that i choose a parabolic bend in my lamiglas rod. light bites result in lightly hooked bass, and little line pressure maintained by a deep parabolic bend in the rod keeps the hook from pulling out during the fight. The ideal rod for winter fishing is a lamiglas rod designed for salt water, the Certified Pro Poppin’ Series rods. The XPS 703 model is a favorite since it has a light tip that clearly shows your jig is in rock, and still handles half ounce or larger jigs and keeps bass hooked up with its deep, even bend.
Prime real estate for winter smallmouths includes deep rock piles, humps, sunken objects, steep depth changes (especially for big bass), and anywhere you find concentrations of bait. locating key structure is simple when your boat is equipped with modern, quality electronics like my lowrance HdS-10 and HdS-8, with StructureScan
Issue 5 December 2011
added. i like the StructureScan so much that i have two units mounted on my ranger (one on the trolling motor and one on my jackplate). Both are mounted on transducer Shield and Saver mounts so they are protected, and so they are angled perfectly for the best possible sonar returns and images (www. transducerShieldandSaver.com).
Lowrance HDS and StructureScan systems clearly distinguish rock bottoms from silt, and the GPS scroll back function allows me to record waypoints at the exact location, even well after my ranger has passed beyond the structure. These units provide a super advantage in finding and catching deep bass during the winter.
Cold water and cold bass mean slow prey and slow bass, but it does not have to mean slow fishing if you follow these tips. don’t waste time trying every lure or color in your tackle box. instead, use these proven methods and spend your time searching with your lowrance and working the water efficiently, and you will put more bass than ever in your boat.
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